A RETURN TO THE GREAT STONE SNAKE WITH FELLOW RV’ER TOM

Had to again dress very warm for our early morning walk.  Smart folks stay in their toasty warm RV’s until the morning sun has heated up the outside air enough for them to step out of their rigs.  Never once in any of my posts have I ever said we were smart folks so……….. we have an excuse:))

BULLDOZERS HAVE RE-LANDSCAPED THIS WHOLE AREA NEAR WHERE WE ARE PARKED & WE NOTICED IT HAS BEEN PLANTED WITH BRITTLE BUSHES

  

IN A FEW YEARS THIS WHOLE AREA SHOULD FILL IN WITH BRITTLE & CREOSOTE BUSHES GIVING THIS HILLSIDE A BEAUTIFUL YELLOW FLOWER LOOK IN THE SPRING OF EACH YEAR

I THINK THIS IS AN ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK PROJECT…BY THE WAY WITH OVER 600,000 ACRES, ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK IS THE LARGEST STATE PARK IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES & BORREGO SPRINGS ALTHOUGH NOT PART OF THE PARK LIES JUST ABOUT RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF IT

Here’s a little something we noticed written in the Borrego Springs Village Guide that sums up why we return here year after year.  Keep in mind I did not write this…(ok maybe a couple lines)….What’s So Special About Borrego Springs?  One visit will answer that question for you.  In driving distance, Borrego is two hours or less from any place in San Diego County.  In reality, Borrego is a world away from traffic, from chain stores, from commotion, from crowds, from deadlines, from the predicable, from the mundane.  A land for all seasons.  Borrego Springs is a year round destination that offers expansive desert vistas framed by stark ancient cliffs, miles of emptiness that are in fact teeming with wildlife, endlessly dramatic desert skies that at night offer a darkness that defies description, plus a peace & quiet that cannot be understood without first-hand experience.  Borrego offers you as little or as much to do as you are willing to contemplate.  Soaking up the magnificent scenery is an admirable full time occupation and can be accomplished on foot, by car, on horseback, in an off-road caravan or from the air.  If you are game for more there is tennis, golf, shopping, music, galleries, hiking cycling, photography, bird watching, sunning, swimming, star gazing, and even time travel when you include a visit to the sculptures of Ricardo Brecceda at Galleta Meadows.  However you chose to experience Borrego Springs we know for certain you will be amazed & whether here for a day or a week we know you will be back.

At the gathering Saturday afternoon I got to talking to a couple good friends of Jean & Skip.  Dianne & Tom from TD HOMESTEAD (you can find them on our sidebar) had not seen the great Stone Snake on Coyote mountain yet & Tom expressed an interest in having a look at it so this morning at 9 a.m. Tom drove over & him & I hiked ourselves over to Coyote Mountain & following a well worn path made our way up over a couple ridges to the wee valley of the snake.  Always impressive to see the serpent & the work that went into it’s construction.  Nice that someone took the time & had the creative thought to do it.  I’m suspecting an older person & fellow RV’er. 

  

TOM’S FIRST PHOTO OF THE SNAKE & MY HE’S A BRAVE SOUL STANDING SO CLOSE TO THE MIGHTY SERPENT

 

LOOKING OFF IN THE DIRECTION OF BORREGO SPRINGS & STANDING BESIDE A FLAG POLE CHATTING FOR AWHILE

It was a nice hike despite the high thin cloud cover.  Not often I go anywhere with anyone anymore except Kelly or Pheebs so it was nice to hike along with Tom this morning.  Easy fellow to talk to & we exercised our legs as much as our jaws.  Ok so it was me doing the most jaw exercising.  If I’m comfortable with someone I often have a habit of talking too much.  And yes it’s very possible for reclusive old grouchy me to actually talk too much.  By the time we got back to the rig I figure we had been gone an hour & a half.  An hour & a half well spent I may add.

 

THIS PHOTO IS KINDA UNIQUE IN THAT IT SHOWS 4 RIGS & THE OWNERS OF THESE 4 RIGS WERE ALL AT SATURDAY’S GATHERING…GAELYN IN THE TOP TRUCK CAMPER, TALKED TO THE LADY FROM THAT GREEN ‘LAZY DAYS’, MET THE LADY IN THAT ARCTIC FOX TRUCK CAMPER & OF COURSE THAT’S US AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT…LOOKS LIKE WE ARE CLOSE TOGETHER BUT ACTUALLY WE ARE NOT BECAUSE IT’S MY 300mm LENS THAT COMPACTS THE DISTANCE

GROUPS ARE BEGINNING TO GATHER

OUR RIG, OUR JEEP, & TOM’S CAR

Dianne had been baking muffins this morning & didn’t make the hike so her, Tom & their dog Nell dropped over after lunch.   Meeting people in large gatherings it is sometimes hard to really get to know anyone so we enjoyed getting to know Dianne & Tom better to day.  Really nice folks & our kind of people for sure.  And Pheebs was happy to meet Nell as well.  They had a look at our rig we had a look at theirs & both coaches have many similarities.  Both Newmar & Triple E are made by Amish folks & it especially shows in the nice woodworking.  Theirs is a Newmar Mountain Aire.  Dianne & Tom are off to Ogilbe Road west of Yuma in the morning.

DIANNE & TOM FROM ‘TDHOMESTEAD’

We still have some fellow RV Bloggers to get around & see yet so we’ll get in touch with a few folks shortly.  Didn’t have much time to talk to Linda & Howard from stillhowlintravels Saturday afternoon.  Tom showed us today where they are parked & I was able to find them later with my binoculars.  So Linda & Howard we’ll be over to see you folks.  And we had thought Nan & John from Trippin With The Talleys were still in San Diego until Tom told us no they are back here at Borrego again.  I was also able to find their location with my binoculars so Nan & John we’ll be looking you folks up as well.  Say, that Tom is a wealth of neighborhood information eh:))

DESPITE THE SHAKY LOOKS THESE TWO GIRLS GOT ALONG JUST FINE

 

Internet was very slow Saturday night & I fell asleep before I could finish my post.  Had my laptop in bed with me & luckily it was still there whirring away when I woke up this morning.  Finished up a few last minute edits & hit the ‘Publish’ button.  Over all though our internet connection has been very good compared to years ago here when it was spotty at best.  I think improvements have been made to Verizon cell towers in the area.

I ESPECIALLY LIKED THE FULL BODY PAINT ON DIANNE & TOM’S NEWMAR MOUNTAIN AIRE & THEY HAVE A CREDENZA IN THEIR DINING AREA THAT REALLY CAUGHT MY FANCY

Definitely a whole RV load of new excitement going on over at ON THE ROAD ABODE.  I won’t spoil the fun & tell you what just happened but these guys are over the Moon happy & many of we RV’ers have been in that happy place where they are right now.  Gol-eeeeeeee:))

More rigs have rolled into the area over the last couple days & especially Saturday.  More today as various RV groups are converging for their annual New Years Eve bash in the desert.  So far we have been lucky with nobody parking in our face & no noisy gatherings close by.  That could always change in the twinkling of an eye though. 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( My boss was complaining in our staff meeting the other day that he wasn't getting any respect. Later that morning he went to a local sign shop and bought a small sign that read, "I'm the Boss". He then taped it to his office door.  Later that day when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to the sign that said. "Your wife called, she wants her sign back!"